


Teach me how to love

by Zacksy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College AU, Group Dates, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Build, iwaizumi his there for him when he has, oblivious Oikawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 15:30:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17645462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zacksy/pseuds/Zacksy
Summary: “What?” Iwaizumi huffed. One of his books lay open next to his coffee and he didn’t even bother looking up.“Aw, I was waiting for a cheerful ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ and this is what I get?” Oikawa gasped theatrically.“You didn’t deserve one, yet.” Iwaizumi slurped on his coffee, flinching as the hot beverage burnt his tongue. Oikawa blinked and leaned over.“Want me to kiss it better?”





	Teach me how to love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redhoody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoody/gifts).



> Hey there! I am finally done with it omg! It's a late christmas gift and a very late birthday present, I'm super sorry it took so long!  
> I hope you all enjoy it! As always, if you find any mistakes or have criticism please tell me!
> 
> The "poem" is not by me but from the gifset by [letsflytoasiarenata](http://letsflytoasiarenata.tumblr.com/post/161029695460) on tumblr! I altered it a little bit for the sake of the story!

Once upon a time,  
a boy loved another boy  
god, how he loved him  
and the other boy loved him too  
more than he could say

Oikawa was in his 3rd Semester and he was on his way to his only 8 a.m. lecture. Fortunately, his professor seemed to like early seminars as much as their students, so everyone knows they always showed up about 15 minutes late. Oikawa didn’t have to hurry.

He bought his coffee to-go at the train station and absentmindedly looked at his phone, scrolling through some news. He just put the cup to his lips, blew the steam away that always clouded his glasses, when someone ran into him from behind.

“Ah!“ Oikawa fell flat on his face, the coffee, fortunately, spilled mostly away from him. The other person tumbled over one time and almost was on his feet again when Oikawa sat up, scratching his nose.

“Look where you’re-“ Oikawa spat out until he looked into the deepest brown eyes he had ever seen. “-going.” He finished.

“I’m sorry!” the other boy yelled as he sprung to his feet and sprinted away.

Oikawa blinked a few times until he got himself up again. He groaned. His coffee was done for, his coat sprinkled with coffee stains. Great. That’s how his day had to start.

He grabbed his bag, pushed his hands deep into his pockets and tramped to his class. This encounter woke him up more than any coffee probably would and with his frustration, Oikawa was the only one who actually paid attention in class and discussed a few things with the professor, earning him a clap on his shoulder, when he left the classroom.

“Haa.” Oikawa exhaled when he went outside again. He still had 2 hours until practice and since he didn’t have his morning coffee, his stomach was growling for something. The cafeteria it is. The way to the cafeteria was a short one since his department had their own cafeteria because it was more secluded from the other departments and most of the time there weren’t a lot of people. Oikawa welcomed this especially at 10 a. m. in the morning without coffee.

He entered through the two-winged door and rummaged through his wallet to find his student ID card. When he looked up his eyes met the deep brown eyes from this morning. He stopped dead in his tracks as did the other one.

He averted his gaze and for a moment Oikawa thought, the boy would dash. He crossed his arms and tapped with his foot on the floor, like a scolding mother. The other man exhaled and slowly closed the distance.

“Hey.” He greeted through gritted teeth, making Oikawa raise an eyebrow.

“Hey.”

“So”, he scratched the back of his head. “This morning … I didn’t mean to, uhm--“, he seemed to look for the right words.

“Didn’t mean to run into me? Didn’t mean to spill my coffee all over me? Didn’t mean to sprain my ankle?”

“You’re hurt?!” The brown eyes lit up with panic and he was already about to bow in apology.

“No.” Oikawa tutted. “But I could have been!” Theatrically Oikawa put his hands against his forehead and leaned back.

“Oh.” The other one stood up straight again. “You’re just a little shit. No need for an apology, I guess.”

Oikawa audibly snapped for air. “How rude!” he pouted.

The other student scratched his head once more and groaned. “Alright. Can I make up for it?”

“For running into me or for being rude?”

The dark brown eyes flared up and Oikawa rowed back. “Yes, you may. I want another coffee. And”, Oikawa already walked past him and gestured him to follow, “I’m Oikawa.”

Oikawa could feel how the other one rolled his eyes but he followed nonetheless.

“Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi Hajime.”

Oikawa smiled his most perfect smile. “Nice to meet you, Iwaizumi.”

Iwaizumi followed Oikawa disgruntled to the counter at which he already placed his order. “Hello, one black coffee, please.” Oikawa could feel the raised eyebrows and looked back to Iwaizumi.

“What?” He narrowed his eyes a little but kept his smile on his lips.

“Didn’t think you were one of the polite ones.” Iwaizumi shrugged, already fumbling with his wallet. Oikawa let out a fake gasp and stemmed his hands at his hip.

“Because I’m not as rude as you. It’s called decency.”

“Whatever.” Iwaizumi handed the cashier, a blonde young girl,  500 Yen with the remark “Keep the change”, and nodded Oikawa with him.

“Alright, so you’re just rude but generous. Noted.” Oikawa grinned and followed Iwaizumi through the few tables to one at which two people sat already. They looked up when Iwaizumi approached the table.

“Back already?” asked one of them and cocked his eyebrow when he sees Oikawa directly behind him.

Iwaizumi motioned Oikawa to sit down.

“Run into some … trouble.” He gestured between the three males back and forth. “Oikawa, Hanamaki, Matsukawa. Greetings and all of that.”

Oikawa was uncharacteristically silent when they approached because he had to brace himself with the sudden social interaction he wasn’t prepared to handle. He put on one of his best smiles on and sat down next to Iwaizumi, leaning back into his chair as relaxed as possible.

“Nice to meet you.”

The other boys nodded at Oikawa and at the same time giving Iwaizumi a more than questioning look which Oikawa more than happy answered.

“He had to pay a debt from this morning. Charming, isn’t he?”

Iwaizumi huffed. “If I were you, I would be careful what I’m saying. The coffee is still hot.” Iwaizumi’s eyes narrowed as he leaned on the table with his elbows. Hanamaki and Matsukawa kept their snickering hidden by their hands, but Iwaizumi still shot them a glare.

“Do you want to say something?”

“Nope. Everything’s fine.” Hanamaki continued to slurp at his coffee and Matsukawa tapped on his phone. Both highly exaggerated.

They kept talking about an hour which was more relaxing than Oikawa expected and more than once he genuinely had to laugh. With their outgoing personality, Matsukawa and Hanamaki got their hands on Oikawa’s number and made Iwaizumi share his one as well.

The next day, Oikawa either deliberately or unconsciously, he didn’t even know himself, wandered to the cafeteria at the same time as the day before and found Hanamaki and Matsukawa alone, this time. The day after he found the three of them together and the day after that he was alone with Iwaizumi who was studying intently.

Oikawa sat down on the other side of the table and looked at Iwaizumi expectantly.

“What?” Iwaizumi huffed. One of his books lay open next to his coffee and he didn’t even bother looking up.

“Aw, I was waiting for a cheerful ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ and this is what I get?” Oikawa gasped theatrically.

“You didn’t deserve one, yet.” Iwaizumi slurped on his coffee, flinching as the hot beverage burnt his tongue. Oikawa blinked and leaned over.

“Want me to kiss it better?”

Eyes wide and with a tinge of pink on his cheeks, Iwaizumi looked up. “What the fuck? No.” He shoved his hand into Oikawa’s face and pushed him away.

“Rude, Iwa-chan!”, he cried and rubbed his nose.

Iwaizumi, unimpressed, kept reading, his lips a little pursed. He already got used to Oikawa’s nicknames, since Oikawa did the same to ‘Mattsun’ and ‘Makki’.

They spent their lunch in silence, which Oikawa felt rather pleasant to his surprise. When Iwaizumi finally closed his book, exasperated leaning back, Oikawa smiled fondly at him.

“Such a dedicated student. You should get a reward.”

Iwaizumi pinched his nose and blinked but Oikawa had already left the table. He came back within a few minutes and presented Iwaizumi with a croissant sprinkled with chocolate chips.

“Thanks.” Iwaizumi said before stopping himself and Oikawa gave him one of his genuine smiles. Sometimes it felt good to do someone a favor without an ulterior motive.

“Well, then. Have to go. Don’t study too much, Iwa-chan, your brain wouldn’t take it.” He waved goodbye and as he turned around, he heard a growl and a second later a scrunched-up paper hit his head.

“Rude!” he cried with a smile on his lips.

In the next two weeks, it was almost routine to run into each other at that cafeteria. Oikawa wasn’t sure they did that on purpose or if he just never paid attention to his surroundings. But it was a welcomed change. Oikawa had resorted to keep to himself so much, a defense mechanism he adapted for not being hurt by people who were wandering out of his life in a second.

Most of the times, it was all four of them but sometimes it was just him and Iwaizumi and whenever that was the case, Oikawa’s chest filled with warmth despite the cold autumn season.

It was on a Friday, Oikawa already done with his studies he wanted just a relaxed weekend when he woke up about an hour before his alarm was set. A pain crawled into his chest, clinging around his heart, robbing him from his breath.

Oikawa sat up, leaning over and grabbing at his shirt. He gasped for air and what seemed to be an eternity but actually just a few seconds, the pain faded. Oikawa grunted, sweating. He rubbed his chest and took a few deep breaths.

“Already?” He huffed to himself. He will never get used to this pain.

It took him about all his energy to get up and get ready for uni, already braced himself to play his part for today. On his way to his class, he put on his best smile and whenever he passed someone who’s eyes lingered for a second on him, he gave them a flashing smile and a wink as he passed by.

After two lectures, his cheeks hurt from all the smiling, and when he finally got to the cafeteria he was excessively happy to rest them for a while.

He slumped down next to Iwaizumi who tried to explain Matsukawa and Hanamaki the interaction between muscles, stress, and pressure. He didn’t look up when Oikawa leaned back and slurped on his coffee.

“Hey, wanna go on a group date with some girls?” Oikawa interrupted his explanation and earned a ‘tch’ from his side.

“Where does that come from?” Hanamaki and Matsukawa almost asked in unison. “Lonely at night?” Hanamaki wiggled his eyebrows.

“I can’t hide someone like this forever”, Oikawa made a wide gesture to himself, “this is made to make people happy. In more than one way, if you know what I mean.” A smug grin on his lips. He glanced over to Iwaizumi who was surprisingly silent and just looked at him.

Matsukawa leaned back. “Well, if you want someone why do we have to tag along if you just get away with all of them?”

“Mattsun! I would never! I am a good friend and want my friends to be happy as well. And who am I do deny you such pleasure yourself?” He grinned, pulling out his phone. “I have a few numbers on hold, so, four for us?” He glanced around the table, somehow awaiting some reaction from Iwaizumi who just folded his arms.

“Four it is.” He decided and began tipping furiously and within a minute he pushed his phone back into his pocket. “Tomorrow, 2 p.m., Café Crow’s Nest.”

“How…?” Hanamaki shook his head. “How can an asshole like you get a date, _four_ dates just like that?”

Oikawa leaned his chin on the palm of one hand and circled the rim of this cup. “First of all, I’m not an asshole, excuse you”, he blinked in played offense, “and secondly, I’m only an asshole to you all.”

His grin was smacked away by a hit to the back of his head by Iwaizumi. “Don’t feel all high and mighty ‘bout that, Trashykawa. You’re not as special as you think.”

“Iwa-chan!” 

Matsukawa and Hanamaki snickered behind their hands and Oikawa looked at them equally feeling betrayed.

“Here I am, showing you the way to adulthood and this is your thanks?!” He pouted and leaned back with his arms folded.

“We can climb that staircase just fine, thank you very much, your Majesty.” Hanamaki threw scrunched up paper beads at him which Oikawa chose to ignore.

The next day, Oikawa woke up to a similar pain in his chest, heaving for air when the sun started to rise. He rubbed his chest and got up, no way he would get any more sleep. He had more than enough time to go for a run and had a nice, warm shower. He needed some time to tame his hair but after half an hour he was happy with it.

He put on some clothes that were not his usual taste, but he already knew that most people he went out with didn’t like his choice of colors and patterns. Boring.

Oikawa stood at about 1:45 p.m. in front of the station and waited for his friends. It didn’t take them long to show up and with a small, small flap to his heart he saw Iwaizumi dressed up, even if that meant, he didn’t just wear a hoodie but a button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Oikawa swallowed down whatever he was feeling and grinned at them.

“You all ready, boys?”

As answer, they all groaned in unison and walked past him.

“Oi!” Oikawa spun around and fell in line. “Why are you so mean?!”

“Because we love you, Oikawa.” Matsukawa deadpanned, eyes on his phone. He didn’t see the fright that was visible on Oikawa’s face for just a split second.

“Mattsun! Did you just confess your undying love to me? I am so flattered, but, y’know, I think we need more time.” Oikawa put his hand on Matsukawa's shoulder and shook his head. “Please don’t be too upset.”

Hanamaki grinned at Matsukawa. “You just got rejected my friend, from no one else but Oikawa. How does that feel?”

Matsukawa made a face and even Iwaizumi snorted at them.

The Crow’s Nest wasn’t far away, and Oikawa didn’t hesitate and entered first of them. He took a look through the room which was roomier than the outside presumed. He spotted a table with four women, all sitting side by side and were watching the door. A winning smile found its way on Oikawa’s face.

In the few seconds it took him to cross the room to them, he scanned their reaction to him. Oikawa had learned to discern between superficial and genuine interest. The woman to the far left looked at him with a spark in her eyes and Oikawa made his choice.

He started from the right to introduce himself and gave everyone his best smile. When he reached the last one, his eyes lingered just a second longer and she noticed, and Oikawa noticed that she noticed by her flushed cheeks.

Iwaizumi took the chair next to him followed by Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

“I hope, you didn’t wait for too long, my apologies.” Oikawa looked at them with almost honest concern for what Iwaizumi kicked his foot.

“Did you already order something?” Oikawa overplayed his aching foot skillfully.

“Not yet, we wanted to wait for you.” The woman in front of Oikawa, Aiko, replied. Oikawa nodded.

“Well, then it’s our duty to get you something! What do you want?”

With Oikawa at their side, the conversation went on smoothly, even though they wouldn’t admit to it, and the conversation in which all took part slowly faded to smaller conversations between two each.

Oikawa couldn’t help but glance over to Iwaizumi from time to time, but to his surprise, Iwaizumi was able to hold a smooth conversation on his own.

“Everything alright?”

Oikawa blinked, and his eyes found Aiko’s again which looked at him in confusion.

“Yes, sure, sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

Wrong thing to say. Aiko cocked her head. “Do I bore you?”

Oikawa could hear the little teasing in her voice and smiled. “On the contrary. I was just thinking about getting out of here for a little more … privacy.” Oikawa intentionally paused to give it more weight and was more than pleased when he felt Iwaizumi tense up next to him.

Aiko’s smile went back up. “Sounds good to me.” She leaned over to her friend and whispered something to her and they both giggled.

Oikawa nudged Iwaizumi at his arm and grinned with a wink. “Good luck to you, you’ll need it.” Iwaizumi’s hand darted up before Oikawa could react. “Ouch!”

They both said their goodbyes to their friends and Oikawa offered Aiko his arm when they went out of the café.

“Such a gentleman”, Aiko quipped but couldn’t hide her red cheeks. Oikawa felt how he was winning at his self-proclaimed game.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and the early evening together, walking around and talking about everything and nothing. Oikawa made sure to always steered the conversation back to her and compliment her in every way possible but tried not to overdo it. And he genuinely had some fun.

Aiko was ambitious, funny, stubborn. Everything could be perfect.

Oikawa brought Aiko back to her apartment and they shared a short kiss. Aiko smiled behind her hand and waved as she went in. Oikawa waited until she was out of sight until he dared to stop smiling.

On his way back to the train station he pulled out his phone and opened his messenger app.

\-- Hanamaki changed the group name to: 3 aces and Oiks --

You (8:21 pm): rude!! y?

Makki (8:22 pm): you just came home? y not stay over? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

You (8:22 pm): in contrast to some other people I have sth called class

You (8:22 pm): how did u guys do when i was gone?

Mattsun (8:23 pm): good

Makki (8:23 pm): dont play it down you make everyone else jealous

You (8:24 pm):   what did I miss?

Makki (8:24 pm): Matsukawa made the biggest catch

Iwa-chan (8:25 pm): ugh

You (8:25 pm): ???

You (8:25 pm): is it himself

You (8:25 pm): makki do you mean mattsun came home alone and he made out with himself?

Mattsun (8:26 pm): wtf oikawa

Makki (8:26 pm): lol almost

You (8:27 pm): well i don’t wanna boast but i don’t think anyone than i made the biggest catch

You (8:27 pm): so you can’t make me jealous!!!!

Oikawa pocketed his phone and buried his hands with it in his jacket. He didn’t want to think about these girls for the moment. It was too exhausting.

When he came home, he changed and dropped down on his couch and finally took another look at his phone. Hanamaki and Matsukawa spammed their group chat, probably with some bad puns, and another message notification blinked in the background. From Iwaizumi. Oikawa blinked. It was pretty rare that Iwaizumi messaged him first and in private.

Iwa-chan (8:42 pm): oi

Iwa-chan (8:42 pm): so u had a good evening?

You (9:23 pm): iwa-chan!!

You (9:23 pm): were you worried?

You (9:23 pm): next time i text you when i get home!!!

Iwa-chan (9:24 pm): jump in a lake for all I care

You (9:25 pm): so mean!! youll regret saying that when i AM in a lake

Iwa-chan (9:25 pm): what? thats not what it means stupid

You (9:26 pm): i still stay correct

Iwa-chan (9:27 pm): whatever dont care

You (9:27 pm): i know u do

Iwaizumi didn’t answer, and it was read in his app that he was offline. Oikawa exhaled. Today was more exhausting than the rest of the week combined, and he was wondering why. It wasn’t for sure the first time he had to play gentleman to get his way but today was different. Oikawa felt he was way too distracted and had to concentrate more than ever.

Oikawa had to be more tired than he anticipated because he fell asleep without noticing and only woke up late in the night when his phone lit up in his hand.

His eyes cracked open and he shut them immediately, the bright light blinding him.

“Ugh.” Oikawa fumbled with his phone and through the smallest slit, he managed to dim his display.

Oikawa unlocked his phone to see a message notification by ‘Iwa-chan’. A smile crept onto his face when he opened the message.

Iwa-chan (2:13 am): go to bed

You (2:15 am): iwa-chan r u psychic?

Iwa-chan (2:15 am): I just know you

You (2:16 am): awww yes u do

Oikawa had to gather all his strength to get up from the couch, his joints stiff from laying in a wrong position. He scuffled through his apartment to flop down on his bed. Oikawa winced by the cold bedsheets and curled up under the blanket in hope it will warm up quickly.

He pulled out his phone and opened the message app with Iwaizumi.

You (2:19 am): am in bed

You (2:19 am): u should 2

Iwa-chan (2:20 am): i am just wanted to remind you aswell

Iwa-chan (2:20 am): gn

You (2:21 am): good n8 iwa-chan!!

Oikawa felt a warmth in his chest he couldn’t correlate but it didn’t feel bad, so he didn’t bother. One has to enjoy the little things. He put his phone on his nightstand and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next day was relaxed and Oikawa could sleep in, could go for a run and had a small breakfast. He checked the time when he was eating and still got time before his dinner date with Aiko. He knew he was moving fast. Most of the time, Oikawa took his time but with Aiko, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to spend more time on her than he had to.

The day went by pretty uneventful and Oikawa found himself right on time in front of Aiko’s door. Aiko opened the door and Oikawa gave her an honest smile.

“You look gorgeous.”

Aiko’s cheek turned the slightest pink and then smiled. “Thank you. You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

They walked the way to the restaurant since it wasn’t that far away from her home and the already dark sky looked stunning with all its stars. Their breath formed small clouds in front of them and by the time they arrived at the restaurant, their hands were freezing. Still, they both grinned at each other when they entered. Oikawa thought, if he would be born differently, he could be friends with her.

They were brought to a table in the back and were handed the menus.

“Wow. I’m impressed. Do you take out all the girls to such fancy restaurants?” Aiko had a sparkle in her eyes which told Oikawa that she wanted to pick on him a little bit.

Oikawa replied with the same playing smile. “Only the girls that I like.”

“I feel honored.” Aiko winked and shifted her attention to the menu.

They both ordered some pasta and a dessert and while they were waiting for their food, they made some small talk. Oikawa tried to pay the utmost attention to Aiko and always responded to everything she said.

Dinner went by almost in a blink for Aiko and like a day for Oikawa and their dessert was brought to them. Aiko exhaled in delight when she saw their soufflé.

“Wow. This looks stunning!” She had to pause for a moment to take in the beauty of their dessert but then a frown found its way on her face. “Actually”, she hesitated.

Oikawa looked up and cocked his head to his side. “Is something wrong?”

Aiko didn’t meet his gaze and fumbled with her spoon. She laughed a little nervous.

“A-are you”, Oikawa stammered, “on a diet? I mean, do what you want to do, but believe me, you really don’t have to!” He had grabbed her hand as he stumbled through his assumption.

Aiko giggled behind her other hand. “No, don’t worry. I think I can say, I’m pretty healthy.” She looked down at her hand that was held tightly by Oikawa.

“I just”, she squeezed his hand slightly which he reciprocated. “I just wanted to make sure, you take this serious.” She looked at him with determination that almost made him falter. Just almost.

Oikawa squeezed her hand a little tighter and looked her in the eyes.

“Believe me. I wouldn’t dare to just waste your time. I think”, he swallowed and licked over his dry lips, “I was never this serious about any other girl. I really … I really do like you.”

A slight blush appeared on her cheeks and her lips twisted in a smile unconsciously. She squeezed his hand as well.

“Good, because I really”, she giggled once more, “I really like y-“

Oikawa looked at her. Her eyes were pinned on him and were glistening. He gave her the most earnest smile he could muster at this point.

The glistening in her eyes stopped and a spur of confusion crossed her face. She looked at their hands and pulled her's away.

“I’m sorry, I-“, she grabbed her bag which hung over the back of her chair. “I have to go.” Almost in panic, she rushed out of the restaurant leaving Oikawa by himself. He exhaled. His heart grew warm and full and the underlying pain in his chest faded away.

By now, he was used to this but the whole ordeal still hurt nonetheless. Oikawa grabbed his fork and finished his dessert, paid their meals and headed home. On his way, he deleted Aiko’s number from his phone. She wouldn’t text him again anyway.

Oikawa was exhausted by the time he came home. He threw his coat over the back of his couch, peeled out of his clothes and fell into his bed. He didn’t want to think about Aiko and their dinner anymore. He searched with his hands for his nightstand without looking and fumbled inside the drawer. He pulled out a small bottle of pills, dropped one of them in his palm and swallowed it dry.

The sheets were still cold which made him shiver, so he rolled himself in a small burrito with his blanket and welcomed the dullness which laid over him and dragged him into a deep sleep.

That night Oikawa had the longest dream since forever. He usually never dreams or at least didn’t remember. This time, however, he did remember. The dream started with his earliest memories of his mother and him. They always had only each other but it was more than enough.

The dream fast forwarded through his childhood how they moved from place to place, his mother always meeting different men, but no one ever stayed. He saw flashes of his mother’s face smiling at him but with a hurt in her eyes, he never had understood until now.

This rather peaceful time ended when he turned 13. The pain he was already used to now, had woken him at the dead of night, rushing him into the arms of his mother. She held him crying. For him or for herself, he couldn’t tell.

Another rush of memories flashes in front of him. The girl from fifth grade in the class next to his had always talked to him with a blush on her cheeks and laughing at almost everything he said. She was okay, but he only talked to her because he had to.

“Our hearts, they always want more.” It echoed through the images.

Oikawa talked to the girl more often now and one time, it was raining heavily when they both stood outside the school. Oikawa had an umbrella in one hand and offered it to her.

“We can’t be loved. Yet we live off of love.”

Fast forward again. He sat at the table in front of Aiko, looking at her bright smile and the blush on her cheeks. He managed a smile for her as well. But he knew what will happen eventually. Aiko’s face blend together with the face of the girl from elementary school. They both looked at him with such a beautiful smile as if everything would fall in place but the next moment the ground opened up under him.

They looked at him and every ounce of warmth ceased from their eyes. And they left. Left him falling.

“We steal their hearts and as soon as they fall in love with us, they un-love us.”

He dropped onto the chair again. Blinking he reached for Aiko’s hand again just to hold another hand. He looked up and the face of Iwaizumi greeted him with the most perfect smile. His eyes were gleaming and glued on him.

Oikawa wanted to say something, but his voice refused to work. Iwaizumi threw his head back and laughed, squeezing his hand. Oikawa wanted to scream.

Iwaizumi looked back at him. Warmth and a feeling of security in his gaze. He opened his mouth and … Oikawa saw the sparkle in his eyes disappear. He let go of Oikawa’s hand. He stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Out of his life.

“We are thieves of hearts.”

Oikawa woke up with a cry on his lips and wet eyes. His heart was beating hard in his chest and a different pain settled in. His breath was hitched, and the afterimages of his dream lingered in the darkness.

When he finally calmed down a little, Oikawa pulled up his knees and buried his face in them.

“Iwa-chan…” it was only a shaky breath, but it filled his room and Oikawa felt a longing he didn’t know. Without realizing he had grabbed his cell phone and opened the chat with Iwaizumi.

You (3:34 am): u awake?

Iwa-chan (3:34 am): wtf

Iwa-chan (3:34 am): I was just about to write you to go to bed

Iwa-chan (3:35 am): go to bed

You (3:35 am): aww thanks mom

Iwa-chan (3:36 am): fuck off

You (3:36 am): y r u still awake btw?

Iwa-chan (3:37 am): had to study.

You (3:37 am): iwa-chan i know u r stupid but u shouldnt study this late

Iwa-chan (3:38 am): fuck you

Iwa-chan (3:38 am): im out

You (3:38 am): no!!

You (3:38 am): wait

You (3:38 am): pls

Iwa-chan (3:39 am): …

You (3:39 am): <3

Iwa-chan (3:39 am): whats going on?

Iwa-chan (3:39 am): i think thats the first time u said please to me

You (3:39 am): rude

You (3:39 am): i am always polite

Iwa-chan (3:40 am): so?

Iwa-chan (3:40 am): whats the matter

Oikawa pondered about answering. He had two options: either downplay it and making Iwaizumi mad to the point he really goes offline. Or he could be honest and hope Iwaizumi won’t make fun of him.

He sighed. Iwaizumi had slowly developed the ability to see through his lies, so it would be best not to anger him too much. Especially not at this time. 

You (3:42 am): nightmare

Iwa-chan (3:42 am): oh

Iwa-chan (3:42 am): that sucks

Iwa-chan (3:43 am): do u want to call me?

Oikawa chuckled. He didn’t imagine Iwaizumi to be this considerate.

You (3:43 am): aww no thx

You (3:43 am): talking to u cheered me up already <3

Iwa-chan (3:44 am): then go back to sleep

Iwa-chan (3:44 am): u need all the beauty sleep u can get shittykawa

You (3:45 am): !!!

You (3:45 am): i am speechless

You (3:45 am): this is next lvl rude

You (3:45 am): i have u known that i already got scouted for various model agencies

You (3:46 am): sth u can only dream of

Iwa-chan (3:46 am): sounds like u r fine

Iwa-chan (3:46 am): now sleep

Iwa-chan (3:46 am): goodn8

You (3:46 am): good night iwa-chan!!

You (3:56 am): thanks

On Sunday, Oikawa decided to stay in. He could only handle so much social interaction and the last night with Aiko depleted his energy completely. He didn’t set an alarm and slept in. When he woke up at about noon, the sun was shining through the half-closed blinds.

He groaned. Still sleep drunk Oikawa pulled up his blanket over his head and sighed. It took him another 10 minutes to peel out of his cocoon and fished for his cell phone. To his surprise, he got a message from Iwaizumi.

Iwa-chan (10:15 am): u got lectures tomorrow?

You (12:23 pm): good morning to u too

You (12:23 pm): one in the afternoon

You (12:23 pm): y?

Oikawa closed the messenger app and scrolled through his social media pages to have a small update but when he saw everyone having a good time, his mood was soured and he pushed himself out of his bed. He took his time in the bath, made himself a generous breakfast and sat down on his couch to watch something, anything, while eating.

His phone lit up after some time and flashed ‘Iwa-chan – 1 new message’ over the screen. Oikawa didn’t bother with the TV and unlocked his phone to see the message.

Iwa-chan (1:09 pm): got some time tonight?

You (1:10 pm): iwa-chan

You (1:10 pm): r u asking me for what i think u r asking for?

Iwa-chan (1:10 pm): what are u

Iwa-chan (1:11 pm): hell no!

Iwa-chan (1:11 pm): i already regret asking

You (1:11 pm): u didnt even wait for my answer!!

Iwa-chan (1:12 pm): ?

You (1:12 pm): of course id like to spent my free evening with u iwa-chan!!

Oikawa already learnt that spending time with Iwaizumi didn’t cost any social energy and he could spent all his time with him. He kind of hoped it was the same for Iwaizumi as well.

Iwa-chan (1:12 pm): it would be late

Iwa-chan (1:12 pm): there is a meteor shower at about 11:30

You (1:13 pm): !!!!!

You (1:13 pm): iwa-chan!!!

You (1:13 pm): yes!! where?

Iwa-chan (1:13 pm): the forest behind my apartment

Iwa-chan (1:14 pm): there is a clearing and we could get a good view

You (1:14 pm): u r an angel <3

You (1:14 pm): I bring blankets

You (1:14 pm): and food

Iwa-chan (1:15 pm): sure i bring flashlights

Iwa-chan (1:15 pm): and sth warm to drink

You (1:15 m): cant wait!!

You (1:15 pm): see u ton8 <3

Iwa-chan (1:16 pm): see ya

Oikawa felt giddy. It was one thing meeting Iwaizumi at the cafeteria about every day and another meeting with him in the dead of night to watch the stars. Sometimes even he could have some luck.

He finished his breakfast with a great appetite and right after he looked for some food he could make and bring for tonight. He looked through his fridge and cupboards and after some online research, he decided to make some sandwiches, sausages, some vegetables, and rice.

Fortunately, Oikawa had everything at home and could get to work right away. The sandwiches had different toppings, some had cheese, some had tuna, and some had meat. He wasn’t sure what Iwaizumi liked so he prepared a bit of everything. The sausages he cut in and when they were roasted, they curled up and formed small octopus. For finger food, Oikawa cut some cucumber, carrots, and tomatoes.

When the rice was cooked, Oikawa wanted to fill it in their bento boxes but at the last minute decided differently. He found some leftover nori leaves and tried forming onigiris. It didn’t work as easy as he thought, but he was satisfied. He grinned to himself.

Their bento boxes were ready, and it was only early afternoon. Oikawa groaned. The time was crawling so slowly, it drove him nuts. He packed his bag with some blankets and everything was ready in front of his door, if only it wasn’t just past 5 pm.

The next two hours, Oikawa spent sitting on his couch, watching TV and checking his phone every other minute. These were some very, _very_ long hours. But, alas, the time finally reached about 10 pm and Oikawa sprung up. He decided he’s going to be fashionable early at Iwaizumi’s apartment and then they can go together.

The bus drive to Iwaizumi took about 20 minutes and about 10.30 pm Oikawa stood in front of Iwaizumi’s apartment, ringing the doorbell obnoxiously until Iwaizumi’s voice growled through the intercom.

“Stop it, Shittykawa.”

“Aww, how did you know it was me?”

“Only one person that can be this annoying with just ringing.”

But even though there was a small bite in his voice, the door buzzed open and Oikawa chirped “Thanks!” before entering the apartment complex.

When Oikawa stood in front of Iwaizumi’s door, he realized that his palms were a little bit sweaty and with a confused look on his face, wiped them dry on his pants. He knocked on the door and when Iwaizumi opened, still with a small scowl, a smile found its way naturally to Oikawa.

“Good evening, Iwa-chan. Don’t you want to invite me in?”

Iwaizumi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m beginning to regret this”, he mumbled but, again, despite his words stepped aside and beckoned Oikawa with a nod to come inside.

Iwaizumi’s apartment was pretty much what Oikawa expected. It was a one-room-apartment with an open kitchen to the living room. It was small but enough for one. There were no unnecessary items, no décor, no plants but it was mostly tidied up and everything had its place.

“You’re early.” Iwaizumi remarked as he put a flashlight into his backpack which looked already packed as well.

“Nothing to do anymore. And then I had the brilliant idea that I could come over in case you’re bored.” Oikawa roomed through the small space and inspected everything with curious eyes, to which Iwaizumi crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

“Y’know, people text each other to ask stuff like that beforehand.”

“Where is the fun in that? I surprised you!” Oikawa exclaimed and beamed at him.

“You sure did.” Iwaizumi sighed. “Well, if you want, we can either spent another half an hour here or can go outside already.”

Oikawa was inspecting the awfully small bookshelf and cocked his head to one side.

“Let’s go outside. You have nothing fun here anyway.” With a spring in his step, Oikawa darted away from Iwaizumi who was already on the verge to throw a punch outside the door.

Oikawa stifled a laugh and walked slowly towards the stairs, slow enough for Iwaizumi to catch up. Iwaizumi was dressed similarly to Oikawa with a scarf and a hat but instead of a coat an oversized hoody which looked as comfy as it was warm. Oikawa tried not to stare too obviously at how cute Iwaizumi looked in it.

They stayed quiet in the staircase since it was already late and despite Oikawa gladly stir up some trouble, he wouldn’t want Iwaizumi to get noise complaints.

Outside, Iwaizumi tucked on Oikawa’s sleeve and nudged him around the apartment complex which was right in front of a sinister looking forest. Oikawa swallowed hard.

Iwaizumi huffed what could only be interpreted as a laugh and Oikawa shot him a glare. Ostentatiously Oikawa walked in front of Iwaizumi through the trees and adjusted his course when Iwaizumi tucked again at his sleeve.

“Wanna hold hands?” Iwaizumi teased behind him and Oikawa pushed his hands into his pockets.

“Well, if you’re afraid because it’s dark or something, I could consider it.”

“I’m not the one who’s afraid.” Iwaizumi mumbled under his breath which Oikawa pretended not to hear.

When an owl, however, flew up the trees, flapping its wings rapidly and “Uh-hu” ’d, Oikawa jumped a little only to get Iwaizumi bumped into him.

“Oi…” Iwaizumi started but was interrupted by a flustered Oikawa, babbling out: “I’m not afraid! You are!”

For a second, Iwaizumi reconsidered but shook his head to himself. Without looking at Oikawa, he grabbed his hand and now led the way. Oikawa was too startled by this action that for a moment he didn’t remember to move or to breath, for what matters.

He stumbled behind Iwaizumi, eyes fixed on their hands which gradually got warmer and with a defeated huff, Oikawa squeezed their hands together. Iwaizumi didn’t look back, but he didn’t let go, too.

 They probably walked for only about 10 minutes which felt like hours to Oikawa. For one, because he was so fixed on their hands, which felt oddly good. Then again, it was cold and it slowly crept through their clothes and Oikawa just wanted to wrap his blanket around him.

As if his prayer was granted, the trees opened up wide and a small clearing appeared. Oikawa’s eyes went as wide as the moon that illuminated their way and gaped at the sky, which was clear and presented its stars like there was nothing else in the world.

“Wow.” Oikawa whispered. It felt wrong to speak too loudly in this setting, well, at least for him.

“Oi, blankets?” Iwaizumi shuffled his feet to warm them up and his face was already red from the cold.

“Ah, yes. Wait just a second.” Oikawa had to tear of his gaze from Iwaizumi’s red cheeks and fumbled with his bag. He pulled out one thin blanket to sit on and two thicker ones, which he handed to Iwaizumi. It took them less than a minute to spread the blanket and bundle up in their blankets beside each other.  

For a while, they sat in silence, neither uncomfortable nor forced. The sky was clear and their little space between the trees felt kind of sacred, so they didn’t want to disturb the silence.

At least, until the cold crept into their bones and Iwaizumi pulled two flasks out of his bag and without looking at Oikawa mumbled: “Didn’t know if you liked tea, too. You’re always drinking coffee but I thought … y‘know, tea fits this a bit more.” The last bit was one word muttered together and Oikawa felt already warm inside without anything to drink.

“You’re so thoughtful!“ he grinned. “Then we start with tea and when we’re getting tired, not me just for your information, we can switch to coffee. Sounds good?“

Iwaizumi nodded and pulled out two mugs as well, in which he poured in the hot liquid.

“I only had green tea, deal with it.”

“As long as you didn’t put in any sugar.” Oikawa took the offered mug and blew at the steam. His fingers finally felt alive again.

“Why would somebody do that?” Iwaizumi cocked his eyebrow as he poured himself a cup of tea as well.

“Good answer.”

They both blew on their tea and sipped it occasionally, burning their lips but neither complained. A few minutes later, Oikawa put down his mug and pulled out of his own bag two bento boxes and with a slight blush on his cheeks gave one to Iwaizumi.

“Just some snacks … I didn’t know what you liked. And my first try to make some onigiris, feel honored!” he exclaimed. Without looking at Iwaizumi, he opened his own bento box and his face fell a little.

The onigiris weren’t formed properly, so after being pushed from side to side with the other food, they fell apart.

“Well, that calls for some more practice.” Oikawa looked over to Iwaizumi and started to say: “You don’t have to--”

But Iwaizumi was already in the process of pressing the onigiris together some more and ate them. When he felt Oikawa looking at him he turned to him, his cheeks stuffed.

“Whaff?“

Without warning, Oikawa burst into a fit of laughter. Relief and the view combined made his eyes tear up. Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes and had to hold both their mugs out of danger of Oikawa’s trembling body.

„You’re so dumb.“ Iwaizumi shook his head and gave Oikawa his mug back when he whimpered his last bubble of laughter and swept away some tears.

“Says the right one.” Oikawa giggled and earned a slap on the back of his head but it lacked power, so he just yelped a reflexive “Ouch!” but it didn’t hurt at all.

Just when Iwaizumi was about to say something, the first yellow stripe flew above them. They both jerked their heads up and within seconds, a next meteorite flew through the sky. And the next one. And the next one. And then there were a few next to each other and they illuminated the sky like flashlights.

In awe, Iwaizumi and Oikawa forgot to eat and drink for a few minutes and just stared until their necks were stiff.  They started slurping at their tea and snacked on their food and every so often when an especially long tail on a meteorite flew above them, Oikawa breathed out an excited “Oh!” or “Ah!” He didn’t notice that when that happened, Iwaizumi’s eyes rather looked at his face than at the meteorites.

For about half an hour the meteorites showered above them and it grew colder by the minute despite their hot drinks and without really noticing, they scooted over to sit nearer together. So, when the meteorites finally faded back into the night sky and they grinned at each other, their faces were so close they almost touched each other.

“Uhm…” Oikawa’s heart stuttered for a second and his usual eloquent self showed its worst side.

Iwaizumi’s eyes glanced down for a split second, but of course, Oikawa noticed and finally broke his stare and skidded back a few centimeters. Iwaizumi cleared his throat and took another sip from his now empty cup.

“Well … that was amazing!” Oikawa ignored what just happened and stared at the sky. “Just amazing!”

Iwaizumi nodded in agreement. He wasn’t one who cared about such things, but he had to admit it was nice to see something like this in person once in a while.

“Yeah, it shuts you up pretty good.” Iwaizumi shrugged.

“Iwa-chan! Rude!” Oikawa gasped in surprise. “Can’t you just say something nice for once?” he pouted.

Iwaizumi continued plucking on his sandwiches and stayed silent. Oikawa sighed and finished his drink. There were just two sandwiches left so he grabbed one and took a huge bite from it.

“I like spending time with you.”

Oikawa almost choked on his food and his head spun around, he almost got whiplashed. Iwaizumi kept his eyes on his hands which were just pulling bread and letting it fall to the ground.

“Iwa-chan …” Oikawa swallowed. “That’s wasting food! If you’re not going to eat it don’t just throw it away!” Oikawa tried to grab Iwaizumi’s sandwich.

“What?!” Iwaizumi, on the other hand, just hold his arm upwards so that Oikawa didn’t reach it. They both had slightly red cheeks but ignored it. “I’m not … what? No, I’m not wasting anything?”

“You just threw bread away!” Oikawa pointed at the crumbs on the blanket which were now scattered all over it.

“I’m … oh. Sorry.” Iwaizumi scratched the back of his head. “Didn’t realize I was doing that.”

“Hmpf.” Oikawa pouted and continued eating his sandwich but this time with a smile on his lips.

They stayed there for about 20 more minutes, finishing their sandwiches and then staring at the sky for a little bit longer until the cold finally won and they packed their stuff. Again, Iwaizumi lead the way with his flashlight followed by Oikawa. He noticed after some time, that Iwaizumi’s free hand was always pointed towards Oikawa. Another smile found its way on Oikawa’s and stayed there for the rest of the way.

When they arrived at Iwaizumi’s apartment complex, Iwaizumi shouldered his bag to the other side and fumbled at its straps.

“So, uhm, are you getting home alright? It’s pretty late already.”

Oikawa blinked and finally pulled out his phone to look at the time. “2 am?!” he almost yelled. Time flew by like nothing. Oikawa smacked his own forehead.

“Well, yeah, no. The last bus was at 1:45.”

Iwaizumi nodded slowly and nodded at the building. “Wanna stay over then? I mean, you’re welcome to walk home or to take a taxi.”

Oikawa arched an eyebrow. “If you’re already that courteous, don’t end it with being a dick!” But despite his words, Oikawa couldn’t help but grin and walked towards the building. “But yes, I’m gonna take that offer.”

They walked upstairs to Iwaizumi’s apartment, which Oikawa once again, eyed dismissively and earned another hit against his arm.

“Are you gonna be picky, now?”

“No, no!” Oikawa held up his hands, laughing nervously.

“Hm.” Iwaizumi disappeared in his own room shortly and came back with a pillow and a blanket which he unloaded on the couch.

“Don’t even think about asking for the bed. Do you want a shirt to sleep in?” Iwaizumi shot Oikawa down who was already opening his mouth in protest.

“Uh, yeah, a shirt would be nice.” Oikawa placed his own bag against the couch and hung his jacket up on the wardrobe. Iwaizumi came back with one of his shirts and threw it in Oikawa’s face.

“There you go. Bathroom is there”, he pointed at the door opposite to his room, “if something’s wrong try to solve it yourself first and then wake me up.”

“Iwa-chan, charming as ever.” Oikawa giggled. “Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your beauty sleep.” Oikawa earned another scowl from Iwaizumi.

“Good night, Shittykawa.”

“Good night, Iwa-chan.”

Oikawa waited for a few more seconds after Iwaizumi went into his room before he exhaled. Why was he so tensed up? He shook his head and changed into the other shirt and threw his clothes over one of the chairs.

The couch was comfortable to some degree and he was thankful, that it was rather warm in the apartment and the blanket and pillow were almost as fluffy as his own. Another warmth spread out within him and Oikawa stared at the small coffee table in front of him.

His eyelids were heavy, and he felt sleep coming, but this strange warmth kept him awake for some time. This will be a problem for his future self.

The next morning came way too fast and the sun shined through the thin curtains, waking Oikawa up. It was still early, so Oikawa, a rational human being, bombarded Iwaizumi with text messages, that he is, in fact, awake and bored.

It took about 5 minutes until Oikawa heard some dull steps and then Iwaizumi’s door was pulled wide open.

“Assykawa.” Iwaizumi growled.

“Oh, you’re awake, too? What a coincidence!” Oikawa grinned his dazzling smile but then had to run away from Iwaizumi who chased him through the whole apartment.

The rest of the morning was rather calm. After they finally settled, mostly Oikawa admitting defeat after Iwaizumi pushed him outside the balcony and closed the window, they had a hearty breakfast with coffee, rice, eggs, vegetables and a little bit of meat.

They ate in silence, took turns with the bathroom, changed and then Oikawa headed home. It was almost domestic.

On his way home, Oikawa felt the same warmth in his chest again but he couldn’t place this feeling anywhere. So, instead of really thinking about it, he put it into a box and pushed it deep inside his head where he never had to think about it again.

\------

After this day, his heart ached in shorter intervals than ever. Oikawa hooked up with girl after girl, made them fall for him as fast as he could and after about a week the pain already came back. It made Oikawa panic a little bit.

Normally, he could live with it for a few months without problems and now he burnt through all his contacts in two months. Between his hook-ups, he met up with Iwaizumi on a regular basis. They spent more time together, eating lunch at the cafeteria, studying at their apartments, went to the cinema or shopping. And every second, Oikawa felt this warmth and the pain was gone for a little while.

Of course, Iwaizumi, as well as Hanamaki and Matsukawa, noticed Oikawa’s increase of dates and the shortness of these girls. But whenever they asked him about it, Oikawa just made excused and was pretty evasive about the topic. Since he didn’t know what was going on either.

Until.

Oikawa was sitting with Hanamaki and Matsukawa at one of the tables at the back of the cafeteria when Iwaizumi walked inside followed by some girl. She held his hand and smiled at something he said.

All three of them saw it this instantly and both Hanamaki and Matsukawa grinned while Oikawa froze up inside. Literally. His chest cooled off so much he almost choked.

Iwaizumi let go of the girl’s hand and pointed at their table and she nodded. She went to the front desk while Iwaizumi made his way to them. When he came up to them, his cheeks were burning red, no matter how hard he tried to calm his nerves.

“Aha?”

“Ahaaa?”

Iwaizumi both shot them a glare which they just ignored and kept staring at him.

“Th-that’s Harumi.” Iwaizumi ignored that he just stuttered but it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Your—

\--girlfriend?” Hanamaki finished Matsukawa's question, both with a disgusting smile on their lips.

Unconsciously, Iwaizumi’s eyes found Oikawa’s and he swallowed.

“Yeah.”

Oikawa didn’t know what to do. It didn’t happen often that he was totally at lost at what to do or what to say. So, he smiled. He just smiled the most bright, dazzling, fake smile he could muster.

“Congrats. Finally growing up, I see.” He slurped at his coffee and ignored his burnt tongue. It wasn’t what he wanted to say anyway. Better shut up.

“Uh, yeah.” He sat down next to Oikawa and a minute later, Harumi walked up to them a little shy.

“Hi, guys.” She waved at them and sat down on the other side next to Iwaizumi, handing him a coffee.

“Thanks.” Iwaizumi took the cup and his thump nervously played with the lid.

The rest of the conversation went by in a haze for Oikawa. He recognized Harumi from their group date a few months back and couldn’t hate himself more. He had introduced them basically.

He kept slurping his coffee and answered question mostly with a nod or at least as short as possible. He didn’t trust his brain at the moment.

20 Minutes went by as if they were days and Oikawa finally stood up. “Gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Harumi-chan!” he said brightly and nodded to the other guys, and without looking at Iwaizumi walked to his next class.

Or at least wanted, a few moments later, Iwaizumi caught up and kinda cut off his way.

“Hey.” His hands were pushed deep into his pockets.

Oikawa blinked and grabbed his cup a little more tightly. “Iwa-chan? What’s the matter? It isn’t nice to leave your girlfriend alone with your friends. You know, Makki and Mattsun are gonna ask her very personal question right now.” He talked without thinking. He didn’t want to hear what Iwaizumi was about to say.

“Yeah, sorry, I just”, his eyes roamed the room, “y’know, I’m sor—”

“Don’t.” Oikawa interrupted him. He knew it was too hasty, and his voice broke a little. “Don’t be, Iwa-chan. You can do whatever you want and, contrary to popular believe, don’t have to report back to me.”

Iwaizumi nodded and finally looked at Oikawa. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds until Iwaizumi nodded again.

“Yeah, uhm, have fun at your lecture, I guess.”

“Thanks.” Oikawa walked outside, or rather, fled the scene. Outside, he had to take some deep breath to push back the stinging tears in his eyes. Why would he cry? Shouldn’t he be happy for his best friend?

\-----

The next weeks were hell. Whenever they met up, Harumi was part of them. It was like Iwaizumi couldn’t do anything without her anymore. She practically lived with him already and it made Oikawa sick.

At first, he tried to be nice and just accept it. Tried to be nice to her, to make her laugh, to make Iwaizumi not feel sorry anymore for whatever he thinks he had to apologize for. But it was so, so exhausting.

Every time, Oikawa came home tired and burnt out. There was nothing left, that could help his aching heart. It hurt almost every day. Not the pain he felt when his heart craved love but some other pain. And nothing, just nothing, could sooth it anymore.

He grew distance. He couldn’t bare seeing Iwaizumi and Harumi together anymore. He made excuses when they agreed to meet up, buried himself in his books and his sport. Running away was something, he was pretty good at.

At one morning, it was pouring cats and dogs and Oikawa was already awake at 5 am, sitting in front of the window and watching the rain, when his phone lit up.

Iwa-chan (4:58 am): U awake?

Oikawa considered ignoring it for the moment but, like so often, he couldn’t just ignore Iwaizumi.

You (4:58 am): Good morning! Since when are you an early riser??

Iwa-chan (4:58 am): since u made it ur goal to always wake me up at this godforsaken hour

You (4:58 am): the early bird catches the worm!

Iwa-chan (4:59 am): the early bird can fuck itself

You (4:59 am): Iwa-chan! Language!

Iwa-chan (4:59 am): whatever

Iwa-chan (4:59 am): …

Oikawa looked at his phone, knowing that Iwaizumi didn’t just text him for fun. And he dreaded what was coming. He didn’t want to talk about anything.

Iwa-chan (5:01 am): can we meet up today?

Iwa-chan (5:01 am): just us 2

You (5:03 am): why? dunno if i have time

Iwa-chan (5:03 am): I know you have time

Iwa-chan (5:03 am): we need to talk

You (5:03 am): about what?

Iwa-chan (5:04 am): about you

Iwa-chan (5:04 am): and the way ur acting

You (5:04 am): ??

Iwa-chan (5:04 am): don’t give me that

Iwa-chan (5:04 am): u know exactly what i’m talking about

You (5:05 am): sorry iwa-chan

You (5:05 am): maybe some other time

You (5:05 am): gotta go

Iwa-chan (5:05 am): don’t you dare

Oikawa locked his phone and threw it on the couch. This was something he couldn’t deal with right now. He exhaled deeply a few times but his racing heart wouldn’t calm down. He grabbed a thin jacket and put it on as he walked outside. He needed to get whatever this was out of his system and nothing worked better than a run. Even though it was pouring.

As soon as he stepped outside the front door, his hair and shoulders were soaked. He made a grimace and grumbled under his breath.

The first steps were just light walking to warm up but he soon was running at a fast pace. He sure wasn’t running away, not him. No.

He made a turn to the right on the next crossroad and about 10 meters in front of him, Iwaizumi was on his bike.

Iwaizumi hit his breaks and Oikawa sprung to the side and both stopped next to each other.

“What the-? Are you crazy?!” Iwaizumi almost shouted at Oikawa. “Get inside, you’re gonna catch something in this rain.”

Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi’s wet hair and soaked clothes. He must have texted him on his way here. His lips almost curled up to a smile. But he didn’t.

“Same to you.” Oikawa shrugged and was about to continue his run when Iwaizumi grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me.”

“Iwa-chan, I can do what I want, you’re not my mom.” The fake carefree tone of his almost made him vomit. Iwaizumi probably thought the same, judging by his face.

He got off his bike and leaned it against the brick wall, still holding onto Oikawa as if he could run away as soon as he would let go.

“Tell me what’s going on. You know, I can’t read people, let alone minds. Especially not yours.” The last part was more silent and coated with something akin to hurt and it clenched at Oikawa’s heart.

“Nothing’s going on. You must imagine things.”

Iwaizumi shot him a glare. “Don’t fuck around, Oikawa.”

“I’m not.” Another shrug. “I have a lot on my plate right now, so, I’m sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way.”

Iwaizumi shook his head. “No. You’re not the same. Since I”, Iwaizumi swallowed, “since I started dating Harumi, you’re distant.”

When her name fell, Oikawa clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to hear Iwaizumi say her name with affection and what not.

Oikawa snapped his arm back. “I’m not.” There was nothing but defense in his voice and Oikawa knew, there was nothing he could say to convince Iwaizumi otherwise. He turned around and walked back to his apartment. His skin was finally feeling the coldness of the rain.

Iwaizumi was not having any of his shit. He took his bike and shoved it into Oikawa’ back.

The rain poured down on them and Oikawa could laugh at the utter ridiculousness at the situation. He turned around and stemmed his hands into his hip and glared at Iwaizumi.

“Now what? Are you happy?!”

“Why would I?! You are making a big deal out of it!”

Oikawa gritted his teeth and looked up at the sky. Frustration, anger, jealousy … Oikawa couldn’t place his feelings that were all over the place and it made his eyes sting. He wasn’t sure what was rain and what were tears that were streaming down his face and he didn’t care.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to! But you-“

“I what?! Huh?” Iwaizumi raised his arms, tossing his bike to the side. “Yes, I went out with this girl. You do it all the time!”

He was right. Oikawa was painfully aware that Iwaizumi was right, but he just didn’t know what to do. He just wanted to get this out of his chest whatever it was. He looked back at Iwaizumi and he couldn’t tell if Iwaizumi cried as well. Did he ever see him cry? All he could tell was the poufy eyes and the red nose.

Oikawa was about to say something when time seemed to slow down for him.

Ba-dumm.

It was then that he realized. He looked at the deep brown eyes, that were looking at him so furiously but hurt at him. The usually spiked up hair that was drenched with rain and hung down sloppily. The hands that were clenched to fists. Every little detail, Oikawa absorbed at that moment.

And the little box he stored away in the back of his head, snapped open. He couldn’t deny it anymore and he finally, finally, realized all his feelings. The warmth, the pain, everything.

“I’m in love with you.”

It was only a whisper, but he knew Iwaizumi heard it.

Ba-dumm.

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened. Oikawa looked at them growing bigger than ever and almost saw that inside of Iwaizumi the same box sprung open and his eyes filled with tears and warmth and everything good. Oikawa almost felt it oozing out and unconsciously his hand reached out, he just wanted to hold Iwaizumi right now. Nothing more.

The next moment, Oikawa’s chest was filled with so much joy, warmth, and utter happiness, he never felt in his life before. He felt whole.

Iwaizumi’s hand loosened. The brown eyes, that were just looking at him with a glimmer in them, went dull. And Oikawa knew. He stole Iwaizumi’s heart.

but  
the world didn’t  
love them.

**Author's Note:**

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